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slippery

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈslɪpəri/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈslɪpəri, ˈslɪpri/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(slipə rē, sliprē)

Inflections of 'slippery' (adj):
slipperier
adj comparative
slipperiest
adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
slip•per•y /ˈslɪpəri, ˈslɪpri/USA pronunciation   adj., -i•er, -i•est. 
  1. easily causing slipping:a slippery road.
  2. tending to slip from the hold or grasp or from position:a slippery rope.
  3. likely to slip away or escape:a slippery scoundrel.
  4. unstable or insecure, such as conditions:a slippery situation.
slip•per•i•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
slip•per•y  (slipə rē, sliprē),USA pronunciation adj., -per•i•er, -per•i•est. 
  1. tending or liable to cause slipping or sliding, as ice, oil, a wet surface, etc.:a slippery road.
  2. tending to slip from the hold or grasp or from position:a slippery rope.
  3. likely to slip away or escape:slippery prospects.
  4. not to be depended on;
    fickle;
    shifty, tricky, or deceitful.
  5. unstable or insecure, as conditions:a slippery situation.
  • 1525–35; alteration of slipper2; compare Low German slipperig; see -y1
slipper•i•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
slippery /ˈslɪpərɪ; -prɪ/ adj
  1. causing or tending to cause objects to slip: a slippery road
  2. liable to slip from the grasp, a position, etc
  3. not to be relied upon; cunning and untrustworthy: a slippery character
  4. (esp of a situation) liable to change; unstable
Etymology: 16th Century: probably coined by Coverdale to translate German schlipfferig in Luther's Bible (Psalm 35:6); related to Old English slipor slipperyˈslipperiness n
'slippery' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: is a slippery [politician, crook, scoundrel, senator, person, character], a slippery [road, path, surface], the [road] is slippery from the [rain, snow, ice], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "slippery" in the title:

As slippery as an eel
As slippery as ice
as...as (as slippery as your mind is)
Cross the creek {on/over/across} that slippery log
how slippery and underhanded <said plankton>
Mind slippery floor
mind the slippery floor
offering an slippery slope
Slick/Slippery
slimy / slippy / slippery
slippery
Slippery
slippery downward slope
slippery <in touch/ to touch / to the touch>
Slippery mushroom?
Slippery People
slippery slick
slippery slot
Slippery term
slippery?
start the United States down a slippery slope
The case for the slippery slope is...
The slippery steps were a terrible liability (liability)
there was a risk of a slippery slope
thrown down disrespectful dunks, sunk slippery layups, and fired clutch passes
Warning slippery surface
what's sexy to one person is a slippery elbow in the face to someone else
<wicked> slippery

Look up "slippery" at Merriam-Webster
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